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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lean — thin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — the cause
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com